Cardinals Fan’s Passing Brings Family and Friends Together

Not only is this a great sports, and human interest story, it is also the story of my friend, Brent “Woody” Bolin.

For those who have known me for a while, you will hear me talk about Woody, and the time we shared at Sonoma State University as brothers in the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. You may remember during the NFL season talking about a sudden backing of the Arizona Cardinals football team. No, I wasn’t crazy, or jumping on the bandwagon, this was about a love for my friend.

Woody was what a friend, and a brother should be. He was a good person who treated others the way he would want them to treat him. He never let the fact that he suffered from Cystic Fibrosis stop him from accomplishing anything that he wanted. Until the day he passed away, he was a great friend and someone I looked up to.

You’ll read about Camp Woody, and the days before Woody passed away when family and friends gathered in Woody’s final days. I remember wanting so badly to get down there to say goodbye, but never did get the chance. I do remember being at his funeral when the crowd was filled with Arizona Cardinals and UCLA jerseys. While there was not a dry eye in the crowd, there were many, many tears of joy shed for “The Woodman”.

I still miss you Woody but I know that you’re somewhere today reading this story in the Arizona Republic about you, your family and a love for the Arizona Cardinals.

From the Arizona Republic:

Stu Bolin lives in Los Angeles. He wears a Cardinals watch. It helps heal the great big hole inside his heart.

The watch belonged to his son, Woody. As you’ll soon discover, Woody was one of the greatest Cardinals fans in the team’s long, painful history.

When Woody came home from college after his freshman year at Sonoma State, he surprised his father. Woody suddenly had all sorts of Cardinals gear in tow. Kids do strange things when they leave the nest for the first time, right?

“Woody, what are you doing?” the father asked.

“That’s my team,” the son responded.

“Oh no, Woody,” the father said. “Not the Cardinals. They’re horrible.”

Stu tried desperately to stage an intervention. He offered his son $500 to dump the Big Red gear and start all over with a new favorite team.

“Woody, you can’t pick a team when the owner wears a bow tie,” the father said.

“Dad, you have to pick your team when they’re at the bottom, and see them all the way to the top,” the son responded.

Stu and his wife Lori have extended family in Phoenix, making it easy for Woody to attend games at Sun Devil Stadium. Woody sat in the bleachers and baked in the sun like everyone else. He never lost faith. He collected as many Cardinals jerseys as he could afford. He was ecstatic when the team drafted another California boy, and Matt Leinart’s No. 7 jersey was the last he would purchase.

In the summer of 2006, Woody went to the hospital. He had been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at a young age, but the disease remained in check. Doctors were confident he’d be up on his feet in no time. They were wrong. Two and a half weeks later, the end suddenly had arrived.

In the final days, family and friends poured into the hospital room. They called it Camp Woody. Anyone who entered had to wear one of Woody’s jerseys. The day before he died at age 26, Woody’s organs were harvested and donated. Stu hears that two people are alive in San Diego today because of his son.

Death hurts. Losing a child is pain beyond comprehension, stretching the limits of human tolerance. But Stu and his Lori had an idea. They were going to honor their son by cheering on the Big Red. They attended a game at the new stadium in Glendale. They cringed when their new favorite team blew that “Monday Night Football” game against the Bears.

“We’re continuing the journey for him,” Stu said. “And after that game, I told my wife, ‘Now we know how he’s felt all these years.’ “

Stu and Lori forged on. They purchased 75 tickets when the Cardinals played the Chargers in San Diego on New Year’s Eve. They invited everyone they could think of, and the scoreboard flashed a message welcoming Camp Woody’s Cardinals.

When the Cardinals scored a touchdown

on the first possession of the game, Woody’s section went bonkers.

“Seventy five people were jumping up and down,” Stu said. “All the Chargers fans couldn’t believe what they were seeing.”

And then came last season.

After the Cardinals beat the Falcons in the first round of the playoffs, Stu and his wife prayed for a miracle, and that’s just what happened. The Cardinals upset the Panthers in Carolina, the Eagles upset the Giants in New York and the NFC Championship Game was coming to Glendale. Stu immediately went online and spent $800 for two tickets.

When the Cardinals earned a berth in the Super Bowl, thousands of long-suffering fans in the stands were overcome emotion. At the time, Stu and Lori simply blended in with the crowd.

“My wife and I were hugging each other, sobbing,” Stu said. “After the moment passed, I looked around and saw that everyone else was crying. I looked at my wife and said, ‘Did they know Woody, too?’ And then we both started laughing.

“Anyone who has lost a child knows the grieving process is never over. We’re never going to be the same. But for some reason, when they beat the Eagles, we both turned a corner just a little bit. It was comfort.”

Stu and Lori showed up at the American Century Championship on Thursday just to say hello to Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt. When they spoke of their son, their mood shifted from smiles to tears and back again. They will attend another game in Glendale this season, although they haven’t figured out which one just yet.

Imagine that. This football team that has caused so much angst over the years is now helping a couple handle the worst loss imaginable.

“We’re lifetime Cardinals fans,” Stu said. “And I’ll wear this watch forever.”

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Tags: Arizona Cardinals, Brent Bolin, Camp Woody, Cystic Fibrosis, Ken Whisenhunt, Lori Bolin, Matt Leinart, Phi Delt, Phi Delta Theta, Phoenix, Sonoma State, Stu Bolin, Sun Devil Stadium, Super Bowl, Woody, Woody Bolin

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